It might sound like a nickname, but it isn't.

In fact its uniqueness is appropriate because it sets him apart.

Junior catcher Kip Masuda, a 2005 graduate of Mid-Pacific Institute, returns home tomorrow afternoon with the 10th-ranked Long Beach State baseball team, which will play a three-game series against Hawai'i starting Friday at Les Murakami Stadium.

It's LBSU's first time playing here. The only two times the 49ers and Rainbows played were in 1979 (UH won 10-0) and in the 1989 West Regional in Tucson, Ariz. (LBSU won 14-7). For Masuda, it's a homecoming and reunion with former MPI teammates playing for the Rainbows (outfielder Ryan Asato, second baseman Jon Hee and pitchers Jayson Kramer and Harrison Kuroda).

"I haven't seen them in a while," Masuda said. "It should be fun. I talk to Kramer once in a while. He's pretty excited."

Masuda, like most catchers, has that familiar story on how he became a catcher.

As a youth, he tagged along with older brother Chase, a 2003 graduate of Damien, who is a senior pitcher at Hawai'i Pacific University. Being the youngest of the group meant getting the last choice of position.

"I played with all the older guys and nobody really wanted to catch, so ended up catching to get some playing time," Masuda said. "I started kind of liking it a little, started throwing out runners and I really wanted to start catching."

And what a player he has become.

During the summer entering his senior year at MPI, Masuda attended a week-long catcher's camp at Cal State Fullerton, and a one-day camp at LBSU.

Masuda then played for a team that competed in the Arizona Fall Classic showcase, where the Long Beach staff took notice. He was later offered a scholarship and signed it. He went on to become an Advertiser All-State selection and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 47th round in 2005.

"He was always willing to become a better player," said Eric Tokunaga, a Charlotte, N.C.-based international scout with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, who was a Royals scout when Masuda was drafted. "On days his team wasn't playing, he was at other games studying opposing hitters. That's what made him different from everybody else."

Since last season, Masuda and Travis Howell have been sharing time. At this early juncture of the season, it's been about a 2-to-1 ratio of starts in favor of Howell, who was an all-Big West selection last season. Masuda started last night and is likely to get another start in this weekend's series, LBSU coach Mike Weathers said.

"Kip's always been an excellent catcher and receiver and a leader of the pitching staff," Weathers said. "Kip's hitting has kind of kept him back, but he's a tremendous teammate, tremendous person. I'm glad we can come back to Honolulu and give him a chance to play in front of his family."

Through last night's game, Masuda is batting .091 (1 for 11 with a triple). The 49ers are 6-2.

Masuda's passion for the game started as a youth when he and his brother would watch their father, Brian, play softball.

"My dad really loved baseball," Masuda said. "He pretty much got me into it."

His father passed away in January 2007. It was tough on Masuda last season.

"It's a lot easier this year," said Masuda, who wears his father's gold chain to keep his memory close. "I just try to keep doing what I usually do and keep playing the game."

Besides a love for the game, Masuda's father and mother, Linda, gave their son a name that was appropriate.

"They wanted to name me something that, if they called my name, there wouldn't be another guy looking at them," Kip said. "It's just different."

And what sets him apart.

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.